New York– On 1 July 2026, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), Canada, the Republic of Kenya, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), and the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) co-organized a side event focused on countering the terrorist use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The objective of the side event was to present and discuss practical findings and recommendations emerging from national capacity consultations and a regional expert meeting, with a particular focus on effective approaches to preventing and responding to the terrorist use of IEDs.
“Terrorist groups exploit porous borders, insufficient controls over precursor materials and access to components used to assemble IEDs, as well as gaps in coordination and information-sharing,” said Ms. Carmen G. Cantor, Deputy Executive Director of CTED, underscoring the persistent challenges faced by Member States in preventing terrorists from using IEDs.
Mr. Jean-Philippe Morange, Senior Legal Officer at CTED, further underscored the evolving complexity of the threat landscape, emphasizing that “the increasing use of commercially available technologies and dual-use materials by terrorist groups further complicates prevention and response efforts.”
Resources
The concept note and agenda for the side event is available here.
You can watch the event .
Photos from the side event are available .
For more information about CTED’s other events at 2026 Counter-Terrorism Week, please visit this page.